How to Get the Most Bang for Your HVAC Buck

When it comes to energy savings, little things count. Most homeowners overlook a number of ways they can cut back on energy use and make their homes more efficient. Have a look at these suggestions for getting the most out of your HVAC system, and paying less on your utility bills.

Increasing Your Home’s Efficiency

When you consider that your HVAC system accounts for a good 40 percent of your electric bill, you will want to do everything you can to ensure you’re not wasting energy. Start by looking around your home, and assessing where you can make improvements such as these:

1. Seal air leaks. Conditioned air leaks out through minute cracks in our homes. Some of the principal places for leaking air: around doors and windows, through electrical outlets, around recessed lighting and through holes in exterior walls for plumbing, wires and cables. Seal these air leaks with insulation, weather stripping and caulk.

2. Install energy-efficient windows. Energy Star, the government’s program for testing and rating appliances and fixtures for energy efficiency, rates windows for their ability to keep heat in when it’s cold and keep heat outside when it’s hot. If it’s time to replace your windows, look for the Energy Star label while you’re shopping.

3. Add energy-efficient lighting. Consider replacing lighting systems with lights that emit less heat into the home, and that use less power.

4. Keep your air filter changed. A clean air filter not only keeps dirt out of your HVAC’s working parts; it also helps your system work more efficiently. A dirty air filter impedes airflow, and will cause your system to work harder.

5. Minimize humidity in the summer. Your A/C dehumidifies your home, but sometimes it will be ineffective if conditions are too damp. That means you’ll feel warm and clammy, and you’ll want to turn the thermostat down to feel comfortable. Find the sources of too-damp conditions in your home and fix them.

To learn more about getting most out of your HVAC buck, contact C.R. Wolfe Heating and Air Conditioning. We serve Middletown and the surrounding area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Middletown, New York about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about energy savings and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 845-367-4482.

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